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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24809407">i do it for (i do it for the love)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/'>Anonymous</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Filipino Loveteam</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, humans of new york</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 01:47:26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,951</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24809407</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>daniel thinks money is much more important but then came kathryn.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Kathryn Bernardo/Daniel Padilla</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Anonymous</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>i do it for (i do it for the love)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Originally posted at livejournal in 2015. Reposted as is. For archiving purposes only.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Hi! Can we interview you for a minute?” </p><p>A girl on a white dress who looks like she came out from an aesthetic Tumblr blog comes up to Daniel as he orders his third coffee of the day  and if he wasn't so used in getting mobbed for an interview everytime he stays in a coffee shop for more than 20 minutes, he would've agreed, grab his coffee and say "Sure" but he's tried this stuff before and it always ends up about Who Is Your Favorite Love Live Girl or something and he ends up mildly horrified hours after so he calmly says </p><p>"I've got a business to run, please choose another person." </p><p>Which is true. Daniel does not own a coffee shop nor a tattoo paint service house but he has stocks to handle, a lot of them, and with the market changing ever so often, there sure is no time to waste. </p><p>"We're from Humans of Manila" the girl says when he turns his back and if that goddamned sentence isn't such a big deal, Daniel could've just strut his way back to his table and work on growing his Investments like a Money Minded Person he is but it's Humans of Manila, he'd be an idiot to miss that.</p><p>"Now you're interested" </p><p>Of course he would be. Daniel turns back around and faces the lady. "I only got five minutes." </p><p> </p><p>Two of the things Daniel takes importance in his life are money and well, reputation. And if getting featured on the country's most famous website won't build that second one up then he sure would've regretted getting interviewed but with 2941 new  followers on his blog five hours after his face made appearance on it, he knew he made the right choice. </p><p>"Look at you Mr. Famous" Patrick says as he slumps himself on Daniel's One Big Comfortable Couch. He's passed on the level of friendship where Daniel wouldn't scowl at him for doing that to his "it's-a-thousand-dollar-chair-from-russia" and not that he's scared Daniel would make him pay for it, he could pay for it if Daniel wants to. The ones who make money sticks with the one who makes money whatever. </p><p>"Famous yourself" Daniel throws the game controller to Patrick and sits himself on the carpet. One easy way to fame is to be some famous blogger's boyfriend and Patrick is one notch higher than him with that.   </p><p>"What a humble man you are" Patrick grimaces "but scores zero when it comes to girls."</p><p>Not that Daniel is actually a loser when it comes to getting the college laid thing out but he's been way too focused on getting rich that one time he left his date in the middle of necking upon receiving a 'Shit man crazy market night rn' text from Patrick. He just works on his priorities more than anyone in college and priority is money, money, money. That's what goes on Daniel's mind. </p><p>"You definitely need to get laid." Patrick tells him, dead pan serious. </p><p>"Maybe." He admits, he doesn't think it's half bad as an idea. College and the sounds of market tings just make you feel lonely sometimes and god, that's what he's been doing for months now, he needs Jesus. </p><p>"I'll ask Arisse about double dates I'm serious" Patrick calls, patting Daniel's back and proceeds back to the video game they barely even started. "I got you."</p><p> </p><p>Daniel has tried double dates before but all of them ended up with a taste of disatisfaction in his tongue after he takes his date home and gets a kiss goodnight that he never calls them back.  </p><p>"Don't be rude and actually try to date." Patrick says as they wait on a restaurant somewhere around Manila. </p><p>"I can't help it, I have high standards." He answers and not that there is much to compare other than it really looked like kissing Blair Waldorf is fucking amazing or Chuck Bass makes it seem like it and none of the girls he has kissed before ever made it close to that so yeah he just have high standards. </p><p>"I swear this chick is different from the ones you've met before." </p><p>What Daniel didn't know about different is that The Chick Patrick said is Kathryn Bernardo Literally Number One Fashion Blogger In The Country whose every guy dreams to have a date with. </p><p>"Holy shit." </p><p>"I told you." Patrick smirks like a winner and stands up to approach his girlfriend and Daniel's date. </p><p> </p><p>"Hi" he says as suave as he can because man he is the biggest hit of Humans of Mnl and probably richest 19 year old there is and he should not make a fool out of himself right now that he's on a peak of the Moment. </p><p>Kathryn doesn't take his hand for a few seconds and says "No need to be formal but okay hi" before shaking his hand. </p><p>"Ah so Kath this is Daniel and Daniel this is" </p><p>"Kathryn Bernardo, yes I know" he says interrupting Arisse and it probably is a bad decision based from the reaction Patrick gives him but when reality kicks you in the face, every decision is taken out of instinct and not much thinking, Daniel is just taking out what he's been offered. </p><p>"Well you know me" Kathryn says not a hint of interest in her voice. </p><p> At this point if things were mildly different (if his date wasn't Kathryn) he would've made an excuse to leave because he doesn't want to waste time on girls who clearly wouldn't acknowledge him and show any sign of interest that he doesn't even get a kiss (because even if bad kisses are bad, they're still kisses and Daniel would get every single one he could even if it meant never to be repeated ever again) at the end. But the girl across the table is Kathryn and he knows, he really knows it would do both his reputation and sex life good so he'd gladly take this night as challenge and get a roll. </p><p>"He was featured on Humans of Mnl a week ago" Patrick adds after they've ordered food (and no Daniel didn't just order the expensive one to impress,  that's too low) "that take some risks guy probably been quoted more than a thousand times the past week alone." He smiles convincingly because well based from him that's a lot to brag about. </p><p>Kathryn still doesn't look a bit interested though and she says "90% of best friends build each other's egos up on double dates, nice friendship you've got in there but I haven't heard his quote or whatever to be honest." and  that should be the killing end point of Daniel's Fantasy but it makes him more pumped up. </p><p>"Are you taking up statistics?" He says leaning in, hands under his chin, maybe a grin plastered on his face too, he's not even sure.  </p><p>"Contrary to the popular belief, I did not take statistics because these trivias are interesting but yes Financial Statistics." Kathryn says while brushing her hair up so it does not cover her face (an action which Daniel takes note to thank her because that was hot) and smiles at him for the first time.</p><p>"Boy we would go just fine."</p><p> </p><p>The first date did go just fine. Not that Daniel could assure himself he's got Number One Blogger interested in him (he didn't get a kiss because as what she said "48% of girls let boys kiss them on the first date but I don't" and he didn't mind (or maybe he did because well) but he's got her number and on his way home he already has a hundred of different date plans to ask her. Sure the date went fine. </p><p>"So how was it?" Patrick asks wiggling his eyebrows. Daniel seriously has to buy him a Valentino if he asks. </p><p>"I just asked her if she's free tomorrow and she well said no but we're meeting next Saturday so win win for me"</p><p>Daniel hops onto his closet and thinks of what to wear because if he did things right he might be coming up Kathryn's blog and he's got to look good when that shit happens. He's got to look good all the time now. </p><p>He ends up throwing aside every shirt he has and decides to go shopping no matter how out of the Daniel context that decision was.</p><p>"Don't say win win yet though you just met her, dating a blogger doesn't come easy." </p><p> </p><p>Dating a blogger in Daniel's mind though is fun because a. bloggers are pretty and famous which means b. everybody gets to be jealous about you and call you Relationship Goals. Dating a blogger in real life though is not close because for starters, they don't seem like dating at all. </p><p>Their text messages go </p><p>daniel: hello kath!<br/>daniel: have you eaten breakfast?<br/>daniel: i saw this shop awhile ago and they sell really nice chokers ill get u one<br/>daniel: traffic is very bad<br/>daniel: i hope you're having a nice day!</p><p>kath: oh thanks btw i hate chokers </p><p>He has convinced himself that it is what it's like even though he still doesn't have anything to compare other than shitty korean drama plots that start out the I-hate-you-but-damn-you-cute trend and he doesn't know what goes from there because even if his sisters drag him to watch, he's got no time to think about anything other than his stocks on the market falling out. </p><p>"I GET IT" he screams one midnight in the middle of reviewing his calculus because he thinks he seriously get it. He types </p><p>what do u say if i ask u to take part in my gambling games </p><p>Which is admittedly the least romantic thing he could ever say (and far by less important because he's got a calculus midterm to deal with at 7am ) but he gets it or he thinks he does;  you gotta bring the money makers together that's the only way to do it.</p><p>So clearly the next date Daniel sets is on the same coffee shop he went into when he got interviewed for Humans of Mnl (not that he's considering the place to give luck to him really, it's mostly out of haste when it happened, reaching home after bombing a history exam wasn't his best state) and he's got his stock's profile opened as he waits for Kathryn to come. </p><p> </p><p>"100% percent of the guys who dated me stopped after the third one and this is your what fifth try and you're still thinking about dating me" He hears her say as a greeting. She's wearing a white knitted sweater on top of a black dress (it's summer)  and really he didn't consider before but damn bloggers do make decisions just to keep their Aesthetic Reputations. He doesn't have the energy to bring an argument over it so he just nods at her to sit then says "If you haven't noticed, I'm a very determined man."</p><p> She shakes her head and takes the seat across him. Daniel nods again, this time at the drink on the table and says "Peanut butter jelly, you said it was your favorite."</p><p>He goes back to his laptop's screen eyeing potential stocks to buy when Kathryn chokes on her drink and confesses "I actually hate peanut butter jelly. I just said I liked it on a blog post because we were doing a photoshoot on the shop for free at that moment and it wouldn't hurt giving back a little." Daniel takes note this might be the first time that it actually seemed like a date (well yeah the first one was fine as he said but it looked more of third wheeling your best friend and his girlfriend but with an additional hot girl whose lips he couldn't touch because as one great saying from the internet states  "do not touch what you cannot afford") and when he came back from ordering her strawberry frappe and found her on the seat next to his scrolling through his accounts, he couldn't stop himself from smiling even with all the lack of sleep he has because damn he never thought he could ever see a perfect sight like this. </p><p> </p><p>"Did you invite me over so I could see how rich you are?" She says when he reaches his seat, chuckling. "You know 57 percent of woman looks at the financial capability of a man before they date -"</p><p>"but you don't, okay okay." He sighs out. He won't even doubt if she does this just to stay out of the mainstream and be proclaimed as One Great Hipster or something because it's reasonable or at least he thinks it is - one has to be different to be known.  "Look though, you don't come around and see a 19 year old millionaire everywhere, can you please say you're impressed for once." He sounds exasperated, almost sad and sad is not something Daniel does, not on day breaks afternoon when he's working and totally not on a coffee shop, but he's worked a week with only 2 hours of sleep on the average and there's this - this whole shitty stock market and unsuccessful dates to deal with, he deems it okay to sound at least sad. He averts his attention back to the screen and scrolls. </p><p>"Okay I'm impressed." She tells him and it comes out almost half-hearted but it's there and he pretends it doesn't feel as warm as it is. "but not by those bags under your eyes, you look like you're going to pass out." </p><p>"It's my aesthetic thanks." </p><p>Kathryn grunts and then he's pushing her seat away as she says "Move your ass up, let's go to a more comfortable place." and he shakes his head dismissively, still squinting his eyes through the screen of his laptop. </p><p>"We'll go to my place." </p><p>And with that Daniel moves out of his seat fast.</p><p> </p><p>The statement 'we'll go to my place' doesn't ring to anything other than an open invitation to sex and it's what Daniel thinks back and forth through his mind as Kathryn drives them there. (Am I getting laid? Wait I don't have a condom. Oh fuck. Am I seriously getting laid, nice work money I love you the most.) </p><p>"You're thinking too loud and this is nothing like what you're thinking perv." Kathryn shoots him a glare as they stop at what he realizes is the university. Too much for getting pumped out.</p><p>"This is like the least comfortable place in this world are you kidding me? Do you disgust me this much?" He basically screams without intending to and it could look like a lover's quarrel only that neither of them is really mad. </p><p>"You haven't been in arts department that's why. Follow me." </p><p>He wasn't keen enough to understand how a financial statistics major and a management student should ever be in the arts department unless they're freshman and taking basic genaral subjects which they're clearly not but Kathryn looked confident (although that could just be her natural resting face) as they walked through corridors, so he guesses there could be some exceptions to it.</p><p> </p><p>"Here." and they stop to a door that reads 'Fashion Design 188'.</p><p> </p><p>Okay art department rooms are messy as shit - sketch books scattered along side different set of color palettes and half naked mannequins  and he almost gives her a judging look before she protests "at least we get to have a couch which you obviously don't have in the statistics building" and she rushes over to the said couch, a lot less cheaper than the one he has at home but definitely a couch. </p><p>"Now move here and get your business going." </p><p>He does walk over as told and opens up his long forgotten stocks from his thoughts of I'm Gonna Get Laid.</p><p>"What if we get caught in here?" He asks and one side of her lips quirk up as she answers "I'm a double major you dummy." and he mouths a wow because well that's something and with the passing hour of keyboard clicking and flicking of fashion magazines and small conversations, he thinks he's grateful for not getting laid.</p><p> </p><p>-</p><p>With midterms continuously piling up throughout the week, they never had much time to talk outside instant messages (because Kathryn finally replies to him now, still minutes late but she does and Daniel couldn't be grateful enough). </p><p>He texts 'university only deems evil but i finished my management exam!!! can i see you?'</p><p>Kathryn replies a minute after with 'oh yay for you but I'm still working on some art project and a blog post at the same time so boo uni :( u can drop by if u want' </p><p>And Daniel hurries off to buy Mcdonalds and in ten minutes he's knocking on the art room Kathryn brought him into before. When he doesn't get a response, he turns the knob and welcomes himself over. </p><p>It's almost too dim inside and he almost thought of opening the lights but the way the streak of light from the setting sun graces over Kathryn's hair tied on a messy bun looks too gratifying that it's almost too scary to tear it away. She looked like art right there and he wishes he knew how to draw to keep a memory of it intact (and then show his daughter and his grandchildren and everyone he knows and doesn't know because look at that beauty). He doesn't realize he's gaping too much until Kathryn mentions it and gives a gentle smile. </p><p>Through the five week course of meeting Kathryn, she had probably made his knees weak for more than fifty times and just goddamn it. (It's a compliment.) </p><p>"Oh my god mcdonalds for dinner, seriously love yourself." She screams at him almost too frantic (and cute, Daniel thinks it's cute). </p><p>He sits next to her and looks at her straight in the eyes as he says "I love myself that's why I have mcdonalds and I like you enough that I also bought one for you." </p><p>She shoves his face away from her and grimaces. "I'm not gonna get anything done anyway so stand up I'm making you real dinner." </p><p> </p><p>Okay for a start, Kathryn's place is cute. She sure liked yellow from what Daniel sees as he enters but it's nice. "It's very you." as what he tells her as she ushers him to sit on the living room and wait as she prepares the food.</p><p>It's the first time in what, maybe in the whole history of Daniel's dating life that somebody cooked for him. Sure he got some chef to cook for him if he wants to but he's not even paying this time, the three cheese burgers and large fries forgotten cold on his back pack. Not that he's complaining but he's just mildly surprised. What can a Kathryn Bernardo not do huh? It's becoming hard to think of one now. </p><p>But the question falls away with continuous chatter, maybe a sizzling debate over what's the tastiest fruit and what is the worst general subject to take in college and as the night falls, it becomes less talking and more soft smiles and lingering touches. </p><p>Daniel takes a swipe on his phone and realizes with a shock, just a mild one, that it's too late to be still staying so he says "I think I should go." first, bringing himself to stand up and get back on his shoes. </p><p>"Yeah" he hears Kathryn mumble as she follows him in tow. "It's getting late."</p><p>And it's almost funny, Daniel thinks as he blinks into the space that they just sat on a little while ago. There's no trace of dirty thoughts and all even if they're cramped in a private space, private for them to do anything that he was up to day Patrick brought the topic of him needing jesus in his life. None of it.</p><p>All he thinks about as he leans in and pecks Kathryn's right cheek is that he wishes he could stay over and not fuck or anything, just continue talking maybe watch a movie or two, play video games until sleep comes knocking at them. Anything not to lose the warm feeling boiling in his stomach, not something burning but something close to delight, something close to whatever he thought he could not have with anyone but as he moves away and closes the door, all he hopes is that one day he could stay over. He hopes he could.</p><p> </p><p>The days go by after that though. Most days Daniel finds himself leaning on the entrance of the Arts Department after class with a drink on hand or fast food that he pushes her to eat shouting 'love yourself a little' and she obliges, sticking up french fries into her mouth as they drive away into her apartment. Some days they walk to a coffee shop and just talk about nothing - maybe the new released collection of Stussy or just plain talks about pancakes or socks. Some nights they walk around the field on campus, late enough that no honking cars are there but not too late for everyone to be sleeping. It's college, who sleeps early anyway and sometimes Daniel would even bring his football with him and Kathryn would watch him play, in between drafting blog posts and doing post lecture revisions. </p><p>“Hey” Daniel greets as he waits outside her room. It’s a Monday and she just came back from her parent’s house and they had agreed, over text, to meet tonight. </p><p>“Hey yourself.” She’s wearing a plaid long sleeves on top of her white shirt and she looks as pretty as she had been these past few months. <br/>She walks to her and he drives and some time as his hand falls in the console between their seats, as they ran over stories from the weekend - his stories about his sisters and her, the dogs - her hand slips on to his, tangling slightly and when he looks at her, there’s a smile  carved across her face that makes him think maybe, maybe. </p><p>Some days if not all become filled with passing anecdotes of their time together - laughing over something as they eat their lunch or just shared silence, one that doesn't press for anything to start.</p><p> </p><p>He made it to her blog, pre fifth month into meeting as he asked her if she wanted to see a movie and she said yes in an instant and with a smile and the night after that as he drove her to her place, she's the first one one to lean in for a kiss goodnight. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>"So how's it to really date huh? I barely even get to see your stupid ass around except at work and you're mostly crunched and fidgeting like you can't wait for your shift to be over. Don't tell me you guys are together and you didn't even tell me!" Patrick says as they rave on about Batman Arkham Knight on a night they're off work and Kathryn and Arisse are busy mulling over the terms girls only know so here they are, getting their time to catch up. </p><p> </p><p>"It's nice really" he begins saying and it feels like an understatement but is there a word to put it perfectly how it feels when he's with her? " she's funny sometimes I mean not that she throws around jokes or anything but she's fun to be with. We talk a lot or sometimes we don't, we just work on our own shits and stuff and it's just" he brings himself to say more but just ends up burying his head on a pillow. </p><p> </p><p>"nice." Patrick finishes it off for him and he nods, mumbles a 'Yeah' as he continues to duck his face on a pillow, trying to find coherence of it all. </p><p> </p><p>"I've never met someone who could do so much stuff all at once and still manage to ask me if I've eaten or asked if I could come over because she thinks she works best when there's someone talking crap about the stock market." He looks up at the ceiling and tries hard to even his breathing. Months ago he just does it when he's bothered about the number of his stocks, nothing about feelings or anything remotely close.</p><p> </p><p>"then why do you sound stressed out?"</p><p> </p><p>He closes his eyes and tries to count stuff away, again like he's good at even without practice, maybe the zeroes of his money in his bank account but as he goes on, everything turns into a shade of mahogany brown hair and lips forming a smile. "But what if I'm reading the predictability of the market wrong this time around?" </p><p> </p><p>It's a shitty answer but Patrick gets it anyway. He wasn't his best friend for nothing and they don't stay together a work to get what he's trying to say. He feel Patrick moving at his side, putting his hand on his shoulder. "Then you'll just have to remember what happens in a market. It's either you earn profit or you don't, and if you lose, what's more than there is but to sit up again and try."</p><p> </p><p>They see each other again on Friday and Daniel stays over to eat dinner and binge watch a season of Project Runway (much to Daniel's eternal chagrin) with Kathryn as she finishes off her lengthy post about the art of eyeliner-ing. </p><p>It's silent and it's almost triggering Daniel to start, to ask and identify the spaces that don't seem to match yet and just know and give it a name for him to understand. Kathryn shifts her body and leans into him, comfortable and sure, and he runs his fingers through her hair, watching her more than watching what's on tv and the question rings in between the moment, breaks like an egg being cracked open, spilling on their fingers.</p><p> </p><p>"What are we?" He asks.</p><p>Kathryn pulls away from the touch and looks at him, eyebrows crunched in the middle. "What do you mean? We're busy college students who spend their time procrastinating as they watch a full season in one night, that's what we are right now."</p><p>"No I mean" and Kathryn prods him to continue "what does all of this mean? You could do this thing alone and you didn't ask me to do it with you but you didn't push me out when I did either. What does that make us?"</p><p>And she pushes herself away more, maybe just a little but he feels her farther than what the spaces their bodies show. "We're friends." </p><p>"Friends?" He screams almost frantic but she doesn't even flinch. "We go on dates for god's sake and you tell me we're friends?!" </p><p> </p><p>"Friends do go on dates. Hey don't shout." </p><p> </p><p>But he doesn't hear her, he doesn't see her and it's just all red because this is shit, bullshit. "You know what you were up to when you agreed to that date Patrick set us up for, you know what you were up to when you continued to come when I asked you to! You know from the very start that friends is not what I was just trying to go for and now you're telling me we're just friends?" </p><p>Kathryn just sighs and looks at him, almost unemotional and Daniel wants to laugh, he wants to laugh at all these, maybe she should try out to be an actress, he thinks. "I only agreed to that date because Arisse asked me to and you should've known back then that I was not interested. You're nice and you're kind and I'm sorry because I'm not looking for anything that you are." </p><p>He scoffs. "You started it that way but what was I supposed to think when you brought me over to your lair at school? When you come with me to the park and watch me play? When you brought me over here and cooked for me? Weren't  I supposed to think that after all of that, after all these months, you did have feelings for me too?" </p><p>"I'm sorry to lead you on, I didn't -" she says not looking at him anymore. </p><p>"Do you know what's the possibility rate of me pinning up after someone for months? Huh do you know?" He asks and she shakes her head in response. </p><p>"Zero and yet I still did it for you. Guess I'm stupid huh?" </p><p>He takes his jacket on the couch and picks up his keys to leave but before he does, he turns and says "Life is much like the stock market, you take risks to get what you want. I guess you still didn't know that I did say that." And then he's out.</p><p> </p><p>Even with the market losing and having businesses leaving day in, day out, it goes. Daniel doesn't cry. For a good moment he stares straight ahead to the wall in front of him where his car was parked, then he's back into himself moments after and drives away without any sense of destination- no end goal just through and through. Maybe he drinks down the feeling, chugs down a bottle of alcohol past three in the morning and mumbles, words splattering to a stranger on a bar and he gets kissed. A good eight months after the last, and it's a good one, one that he wouldn't mind to go through again, but it doesn't brush away anything at all, everything just falls as a recall of the words uttered hours ago. </p><p> </p><p>It's a different thing he decides, or maybe similar with the gamble that goes in stock market and it's a shitty analogy but it's the only thing Daniel's good at right now. There should be a warning, not that when he tried to get into business there was one but the world should be just for once and hint at him that  you can't just withdraw everything once you've installed your feelings out, possible but never easy and Daniel was never the one to be patient with things. Maybe he ran out of good luck, he ponders, because the market's always need a few of those with big things and dating someone who holds a place at the top is definitely a big one; or maybe it's just a shitty competitor - one that works him to the bone but is never quite there in the morning to give him a pat and say it was a good game or man you were great back there. It's all a shitty analogy, a bad metaphor. </p><p>Waking up he reminds himself there's only two things he only cared about, he still got a ton of money on his bank and even if he did stop working, he doesn't think it could run dry on him too fast, he also have the reputation, still Humans of Manila's biggest hit to date; but somewhere along this doesn't feel right and he's back hunching at a piece of line he'll never pass. </p><p> </p><p>"Do you regret it?" Patrick asks when he came over the day after that.</p><p> </p><p>And more than once he wants to say yes he does but at the end of it, Patrick standing up to leave, he couldn't bring himself to say it was.</p><p> </p><p>Life goes on. He wakes up and takes his time at school then works double after, even on days he's not supposed to then passes out straight in bed as he comes home only to get up the next day and have a repeat of the day before.</p><p>He’s a busy businessman, money on his mind all the time and there’s no time to waste. He keeps repeating to himself over and over until it makes sense, until it becomes a repeated pattern of what it was before everything, before double dates and Gossip Girl standards for kissing, before late nights spent in hushed whispers even if no one’s there to keep secrets to. He tries hard and it works for most part. </p><p>The university is too big for them not to cross paths. The university is filled with people, different ones, with different stories and if he was honest, maybe they’d all fall in one type to other of the people who shared a part of their life in Humans of Manila just like he did. It’s funny how his life, that only revolved about the idea of getting more money came to this - whatever is uncool about being broken hearted 19 years old. Because being broken hearted is not pretty until you put it in pretty words because that’s what poets do and Daniel is not a poet so it does not become pretty at all - just broken, the word over and over again. </p><p> </p><p>But like markets go, life becomes unpredictable. </p><p> </p><p>“Uhm.. hello?” </p><p> </p><p>And Kathryn is on his door, looking as less as he expected - wearing pants and oversized hoodie. </p><p>“Okay I know you’re mad and you have every right to be but please listen to me?” She says as he continues to stand there, unfazed and emotionless. No longer taking what his mind offers - go run to her, hug her, don’t let her go - but he stays silent in place, looking but not yearning. </p><p>“I was scared.” she starts again. “I didn’t know a thing about this, about relationships and all that except for the statistical records and it was stupid but I kept thinking of that because 90 percent of the guys I know are assholes. And I was scared. You had all the money and usually, like 70 percent of those people who have money are assholes and what do I do? When you keep crossing those records?” </p><p>He takes a step, just a single one and she moves back, waving her hand in front. </p><p>“Let me finish.” she pleads, voice a little too soft. “So I’m saying I’m sorry for turning you down when all I’ve wanted to do is keep you with me but I was just so scared and I still am but I wanna take this risk with you.” She says in one breath and looks up. “Would you let me?” </p><p> </p><p>And really it’s shitty because market analogies always are and it’s mean so mean to him all the time but whatever, he thinks. Whatever. </p><p>“I could recite the whole thing you said in the Humans of Manila interview!” </p><p>And it’s all really when two things become three because love maybe (Kathryn), is one of the most important things in his life right now. </p><p> </p><p>He hugs her and it’s easy. It's either you earn profit or you don't, and if you lose, what's more than there is but to sit up again and try. He hears Patrick’s words on his mind and yeah, he nods. “I’m still an asshole though.” He whispers and she laughs and they laugh and maybe that’s just all that matters right now. </p><p> </p><p>-</p><p> </p><p>He did get a chance to stay over. Friday after his first finals and they had promise to celebrate it together over dinner. Then another night of studying, of him working on his stocks and side eating pizza as he answered her questions about Statistics 37 and fell asleep, hours after. </p><p>(“OH MY GOD IM RUNNING LATE! I DIDNT BRING CLOTHES OVER!” </p><p> </p><p>“JUST WEAR MINE. I HAVE BOXERS SOMEWHERE AND OVERSIZED SHIRT. NO ONE GIVES A DAMN IF YOU REPEAT YOUR PANTS.” </p><p> </p><p>“WHAT?!”</p><p>“DO YOU WANT TO GO TO CLASS WITH THE SAME CLOTHES?” </p><p>“NO! BUT YOUR UNDERWEAR???” </p><p>“YES! GO NOW!”)</p><p> </p><p>And it’s fine. Everything’s fine from here on.</p>
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